1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a tamper evident cover for a sprayer nozzle of the type that is at the front end of a trigger sprayer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cover which is received over a nozzle cap of a sprayer nozzle and has at least one rearwardly extending flange for coupling to a trigger. The flange has a frangible connection to the cover such that when the trigger is actuated the flange is broken away from the cover and the cover pops off of the nozzle cap.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR .sctn.1.97-1.99
Heretofore, various types of tamper evident trigger sprayers have been proposed. Two examples of previously proposed trigger sprayers having tamper proof or tamper evident structure thereon are disclosed in the following two patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,946,074 Grogan 4,971,227 Knickerbocker et al. ______________________________________
In the Grogan U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,074 a tamper evident manually actuated pump sprayer is disclosed, which includes a locking device extending between the trigger and a confronting portion of the pump body and abuts against a trigger flange. When pushing the trigger, the locking device breaks and falls apart so that it is impossible to replace the locking device after having squeezed the trigger. In another embodiment, the device engages the underside of the trigger and snap fits into a sprayer nozzle cap located adjacent the trigger. After pulling off this locking device, some projections will remain within the nozzle without interfering with intended use.
In the Knickerbocker et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,227 a manually actuated sprayer is disclosed, having a nozzle rotatable from OFF to ON positions. A removable tear strip or a removable cap is provided for preventing rotation from the OFF position. Upon removal of the tear strip or cap, the nozzle is free to be rotated to its ON position. By removing the tear strip, it is destroyed and therefore, it cannot be replaced, which provides evidence to the user that the nozzle has been tampered with. The tear strip is almost an extension of the body of the dispensing device and molded thereto. The tear strip covers partially the nozzle cap and since the tear strip is fixed on the body of the dispensing device, the nozzle cap cannot be rotated without removing the tear strip beforehand.
The dispensing device of the present invention differs from these previously proposed structures by providing a tamper evident/tamper proof nozzle cover assembly that includes a different type of tamper evident/tamper proof structure and is thereby distinguished over the teachings of the Grogan and Knickerbocker et al. patents.